It ain't really "natural"

8-24-11
Genetic Engineering News List
ConAgra Sued Over GMO '100% Natural' Cooking Oils
Michele Simon
Food Safety News
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/08/conagra-sued-over-gmo-100-natural-cooking-oils/
If you use Wesson brand cooking oils, you may be able to join a class action
against food giant ConAgra for deceptively marketing the products as natural.
These days it's hard to walk down a supermarket aisle without bumping into a
food product that claims to be "all-natural." If you've ever wondered how even
some junk food products can claim this moniker (witness: Cheetos Natural Puff
White Cheddar Cheese Flavored Snacks - doesn't that sound like it came straight
from your garden?) the answer is simple if illogical: the Food and Drug
Administration has not defined the term natural.
So food marketers, knowing that many shoppers are increasingly concerned about
healthful eating, figured: why not just slap the natural label on anything we
can get away with? That wishful thinking may soon be coming to an end if a few
clever consumer lawyers have anything to say about it.
While various lawsuits have been filed in recent years claiming that food
companies using the term natural are engaging in deceptive marketing, a suit
filed in June in California against ConAgra could make the entire industrial
food complex shake in its boots.
The plaintiff claims he relied on Wesson oils "100% natural" label, when the
products are actually made from genetically modified organisms.
GMOs Not Exactly Natural, So Says Monsanto
Ironically, the complaint cites a definition of GMOs by none other than
Monsanto, the company most notorious for its promotion of the technology.
According to Monsanto, GMOs are: "Plants or animals that have had their genetic
makeup altered to exhibit traits that are not naturally theirs."
The complaint also quotes a GMO definition from the World Health Organization:
"Organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that
does not occur naturally."
Four Wesson varieties are implicated in the case: Canola Oil, Vegetable Oil,
Corn Oil, and Best Blend. And it's not just on the label that ConAgra is using
the natural claim, but also online and in print advertisements. (Additional
silly health claims on the website include "cholesterol free"--vegetable oils
couldn't possibly contain cholesterol anyway.)
The complaint describes the extent of ConAgra's deception, alleging the "labels
are intended to evoke a natural, wholesome product." And further:
The "100% Natural" statement is, like much of the label on Wesson Oils,
displayed in vibrant green. The "Wesson" name is haloed by the image of the sun,
and the Canola Oil features a picture of a green heart.
A green heart -- you just can't get any healthier than that. However, as
registered dietitian Andy Bellatti told me: "These oils are high in omega 6
fatty acids, which in excessive amounts are actually bad for your heart." Guess
they left that part out of the green heart icon.
Supermarkets Chock-full of GMOs
But what makes this lawsuit especially intriguing is its potentially far-ranging
impact. According to the Center for Food Safety: "upwards of 70 percent of
processed foods on supermarket shelves -- from soda to soup, crackers to
condiments -- contain genetically-engineered ingredients." While it's unclear
how many of these products also claim to be natural, given all the greenwashing
going on these days, it's likely to number in the thousands.
Specifically, up to 85 percent of U.S. corn is genetically engineered as are 91
percent of soybeans, both extremely common ingredients in processed foods.
Numerous groups including the Center for Food Safety have been calling attention
to the potential hazards of GMOs for years. From their website:
A number of studies over the past decade have revealed that genetically
engineered foods can pose serious risks to humans, domesticated animals,
wildlife and the environment. Human health effects can include higher risks of
toxicity, allergenicity, antibiotic resistance, immune-suppression and cancer.
 
Not exactly the stuff that green hearts are made of. The legal complaint also
notes that on its corporate website ("but not on the Wesson site that consumers
are more likely to visit"), ConAgra implies that its oils are genetically
engineered. The company concludes: "Ultimately, consumers will decide what is
acceptable in the marketplace based on the best science and public information
available."
But by being told the oils are "100% natural," consumers can no longer make an
informed decision as they are being misled.
Which reminds me of a great quote from Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser:
"If they have to put the word 'natural' on a box to convince you, it probably
isn't."

Michele Simon is a public health lawyer specializing in industry marketing and
lobbying tactics. She is the author of Appetite for Profit: How the Food
Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back, and research and policy
director at Marin Institute, an alcohol industry watchdog group.